April is STD Awareness Month. This month offers a great opportunity to amplify our voices around what’s new and important in the STD world, and to highlight the great work that all of our members do on a daily basis to combat the STD epidemic. This year NCSD will be taking part in several activities to spread the word about STDs and we invite our members and partners to partake, and help make STD Awareness Month contagious!

Blog Series

NCSD is teaming up with Human Rights Campaign to highlight increasing rates of STDs amongst LGBTQ people, in particular Young Gay and Bisexual Men. We will be cross-posting blogs with HRC throughout the month and look forward to this great collaboration.

Also, NCSD will be participating in the CDC – Division of STD Prevention’s Syphilis Strikes Back STD Awareness Campaign. Check out their site for their STD Awareness Month package.

You can bookmark the NCSD Blog to follow along with our blog throughout the month!  We are currently planning to highlight the following themes throughout:

• April 3^rd-7^th: STDs and the LGBTQ Community
• April 10^th-14^th: Syphilis – Then and Now
• April 17^th-21^st: STD Testing and Three Site Testing
• April 24^th-28^th: STDs and Adolescents

Social Media and Twitter Thunderclap

Throughout the month, NCSD will be active on both Twitter and Facebook  by posting messages to promote STD prevention, testing, treatment.  To help you get engaged online, we have prepared draft posts for your use as well!  Click here for draft social media posts, and use #STDMonth17 to join the conversation!

Also, this year we are participating in CDC – DSTDP’s Thunderclap on Twitter!  Twitter Thunderclaps are a creative way to galvanize organizations and citizens around issues that matter.  Thunderclaps are easy to join, and you can sign-up through your employee or private account in advance.  We encourage you to check it out and spread the word!

“It’s Your Call” –  How STD Programs Can Increase PrEP Usage and Facilitate STI Prevention 

As part of STD Awareness Month, NCSD continues our membership conference call series – “It’s Your Call.” This is a venue for members to discuss pertinent topics and subject matter of your choosing in a forum that fosters discussion and sharing among peers. The next call will take place on Thursday, April 27 from 1PM-2PM EST.

New Resource for Providers and Laboratories

NCSD is collaborating with the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Training Centers (NNPTC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to produce resources for clinics and laboratories to ensure that extragenital testing is available across the country. We are also proud of the ongoing work of the Gay Men’s Health Equity Workgroup, a partnership between NASTAD and NCSD, to develop additional tools for Health Departments around extragenital screening best practices.  You can find this new resource here.